Course Recommendations for Biology Majors by Year

First Year Courses

Prospective Biology majors are strongly encouraged to take Chemistry (Chemistry 105 or 107-108) along with Biology 111-112 during the first year. In consultation with the academic advisor, a student may choose to postpone chemistry or math until the sophomore year. The remain­ing courses in the first year may be English 101, First Year Seminar (FYS) 100, electives, or graduation requirements. A student with a foreign language background should take that department's exam for advanced placement.

Some possible First Year fall term schedules are:

Bio 111

Bio 111

Bio 111

Chem 107 or 105

Chem 107or 105

Math 105 or 111

Eng 101 or FYS 100

Eng 101 or FYS 100

FYS 100 or Eng 101

Math 111 or 105

Foreign Language

Graduation Requirement

Many second semester courses are continuations of those started in the fall (Biology 112, Chemistry 108, and foreign language, for example). Second semester courses are selected in November, in consultation with the student's academic advisor.

Sophomore Level Courses

Students who have completed Chemistry 107 (or 105) and 108 in their First year are expected to take Genetics and Cell Biology. This will give students greater flexibility in scheduling advanced courses during their Junior and Senior years as well as facilitating study abroad. Genetics requires Chemistry 107 (or 105) and Cell Biology requires Chemistry 108 as prerequisite. If a student does not take Chemistry during the first year, Chemistry 107 (or 105) and 108 should be taken as a sophomore.

200 Level Courses

Any of these courses may be taken after completing Bio 111-112. These courses are offered either every year or every other year.

300 Level Courses

Any of these courses may be taken after completing Bio 211 and/or 212. These courses are offered either every year or every other year. They are listed under the semester when they are commonly taught.

In consultation with their advisor, students should select a combination of courses that (1) provide the necessary prerequi­sites for upper level courses, (2) satisfy their interests and curiosity, and (3) prepare them to achieve their professional goals.

On-line courses

The Biology department will consider student petitions for on-line courses to count in the Biology major under exceptional circumstances: for example, a student is ill and cannot take courses any other way; a course deals with an advanced topic not offered at Gettysburg College.

The on-line course must be offered by an accredited institution and must count for that department's major (typically a biology major); the student must also petition our department for approval, providing us with syllabus and sample tests.